Knee type milling machine



E. J. KEARNEY Dec. 12, 1933.

KNEE TYPE MILLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 20 1932 E. J. KEARNEY Dec. 12, 1933.

KNEE TYPE MILLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR y /Cl a u% BY 'Dec. 12, 1933. E. J. KEARNEY KNEE TYPE MILLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20. 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Y QAIDIENT/OR MfiW Dec. 12, 1933. E, J KEARNEY 1,938,661

KNEE TYPE MILLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES KNEE MILLING MACHINE Edward J. Kearney, Wauwatosa, Wis, assignor to Kearney & Trecker Corporation, West Allis,

Wis.

Applicationflctober 20, 1932. Serial No. 63 8,667

4 Cla This invention relates to milling machines and more particularly to the type commonly known as a knee and column miller.

It is common practice to provide these ma- 5 chines with a primary power source consisting of an electric motor arranged to be housed within the column of the machine from which-suitable transmission mechanism takes oil for the driving of the spindle and for the movements of the knee,

table, and saddle, and for various other purposes. As the machines have been constructed in the past, the housing of the motor within the column structure is effected by providing achamber in the lower portion of the column structure having an opening in the rear wall sufliciently large for the motor to enter into the chamber. The opening at the rear is very objectionable for the reason that it weakens the column structure by removing metal at point where it is most required 7 Q for rigidity of the structure. It results that such sructures'are far from being as rigidor as resistant to vibration as are structures in which the machineisdriven from a suitable line shaft and pulley or in which the driving motor is housed outside the column in which event the rear wall may be substantially without openings. It is characteristic of the machines in which the motors are inserted into the column housing through the rear wall thereof that the axis of the motor shaft lies substantially parallel with the axis of the tool spindle of the machine.

It is apurpose of the present invention to provide a kneetype millingmachine with ,a prime mover consisting of a motor housed within the column while avoiding the defects above mentioned, particularly the necessity of large openings inthe rear column wall.

Another object. is to provide such a machine 40 in which the openings required for inserting and removing the motor leave the front and rear walls of the column substantially intact and such openings as required are arranged along the neutral axis of the column, that is to say, a structure in which such openings as are necessary for the mounting of the motor are incorporated in the side walls'of the column instead of in the rear wall, as has been the previous practice.

A furtherpurpose is to provide a transmission for the driving of the spindle or other elements .of the milling machine and originating in the shaft of a motor arranged crosswise of the column, that is to say, in a position such that the axis of the motor shaft is substantially atright angles to the axis of the milling-machine'spindle,

and particularly when the motor is housed within a lower portion of the column structure.

Other objects relate to the construction of the column of a machine having a driving motor housed within the column and arranged, as pre- 50 viously indicated, in a manner permitting a column of maximum rigidity and minimum vibration.

Other objects relate generally to improvement and simplification in the construction andopera- 5 tion of milling machines, particularly with respect to machines incorporating one or more of the objects previously indicated, and particularly with respect to milling machines of the type commonly called knee and column type.

A variety of other objects will .be apparent from the specification.

The invention consists of the structure as herein specifically shown and claimed, together with such vmodifications as may :be equivalent to the structure claimed.

Fig. 1 is a right side elevation of a milling machine incorporating the invention, more particularly of the column portion thereof, the table, saddle, and a portion of the knee not being so shown.

Fig. 2 is a left side elevation of the same machine.

:Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the column of the machine shown with the knee, table, and saddle 86 portions removed. 4

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the column showing the manner of mounting the motor therein and portions of the transmission, the section being taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

90 Fig. 5 shows the machine partially in section taken along line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a plan view partially in horizontal section along line 6-6 of Figs. 1 and 5, the saddle and table of the machine not being shownin this view. I

The machine-includes a column 1 providing a front wall la having guideways for the vertical movement of a knee 3, saddle 4, and tablet shown in Fig. 5. The column alsoincludes a rear wall lb and side walls 10 and Id. In the interior of the column a rib or wall 1e extends from the one to the other side wall, forming a chamber 1! housing a motor 6 having a shaft Bizprojecting through an opening 7 in the side wall and carry 9 'ing a pulley 8, adapted for driving a pulley 9 fixed on amain drive shaft 10, through the agency of a multiple strand belt 11. The motor '6 is intended to be inserted within the chamber lf'throughan opening lg in thejside wall 1d, the wall 16 being extended to increase the length of the motor chamber axially of the motor shaft and the opening through which the motor is inserted being normally closed by a hinged cover 12. At the other side of the column the opening 7 through the side wall 1c of the column is normally closed by a removable cover member 13 which also acts as a housing for the pulleys 8 and 9 and the belt 11. Member 13 is also hinged or pivoted whereby it can be moved to expose the pulleys 8, 9 and belt 11 for inspection or repairs. I

The motor 6 is supported in a manner to enable bodily adjustment in a direction adapted to deter' mine the tension on belt 11 as follows: The motor is fixed on a bracket or member 14 having a'pivot 15 about which the bracket and motor may be adjusted by the means of a screw 16 and clamped.

in position by the means of a screw 17. The axis of the pivot v15 is parallel with the axis of the motor shaft 6a. 1

From the shaft 10 transmission mechanism is taken off to drive thev tool spindle 18 of the ma-- chine, the transmission being as follows: A shaft 19 coaxial with the shaft 10 may be connected or disconnected therefrom by the means of a main clutch generally denoted by the numeral 20, the clutch 20 consisting of complementary friction members adapted to be engaged or dis-' engaged by the manual movement of a lever 21 operating through a shaft 22, levers 23, 24, a shaft 25, and a lever 26. Above and parallel with the shaft 19 is a shaft 27. A speed rate changer generally denoted by the numeral 28 provides a variety of speeds between the shafts 19 and 2'7 by the means of the following mechanism: Fixed on shaft 2'7 are three differently diameteredgears 29, 30, 31 adapted for engagement one at a time by complementary gears 32, 33, 34 slidably splined on the shaft 19, the gears 32, 33, 34 being shifte able by the means of a hand lever 35 fixed on a shaft 36 for movement of a shaft 37 through bevel gears 38, 39, theshaft 3'7 having a pinion 40 engaging a suitable rack in a shifter fork 41 which engages the side faces of the gear 33.

The different speeds of shaft 27 are transmitted to a shaft 42 through a reverser generally denoted by the numeral 43 and consisting of a gear 44 fixed on shaft 42 andhaving meshed therewith a gear 45, together with a pair of gears46-47 slidably splined on the shaft 27 and shiftable for engagementone at a time, either to engage the gear 46 to drive the gear 44 directly, or to engage the gear 47 with the gear to drive the gear 44 reversely, the gear 45 acting as an idler. The gears 4647 may be shifted by the means of ahand lever 48 fixed on a shaft 49 having a pinion 50 engaging a suitable rack on a rod 51 for the shifting of a fork member 52 which in, part is supported from the shaft 51 and in part from a rod or stud 53 and provides a fork element 54 engaging a suitable annular groove in the hub of the gear 46.

The shaft 42 drives spindle 18 through a worm 55 fixed on the shaft and engaging a worm wheel 56 keyed with the spindle.

Other transmission mechanism is driven, from the shaft 10, including transmission mechanisms for the movement of the knee, table, and saddle, whereby the table 5 may be moved in three transverse paths including longitudinal cross and vertical movements. There is intended to be incorporated in such transmissionmechanisms a feed train and a quick traverse train, alternatively available and each operable for the movement of the various members, and respectively originating in the gear or element 57 which is driven from shaft 10 through the main clutch 20, and in the gear or element 58 which is driven from the shaft 10 exclusive of the main clutch 20. A variety of suchtransmission mechanisms is well known, together with control mechanism therefor. One of many examples of such transmission and control mechanism may be found in the application, Serial No. 586,561, filed January 14, 1932, but this is by no means to be considered as illustrative of anything other than one of a great number of mechanisms which might be used for the purpose, while carrying out the purposes previously explained.

I claim:

1. A milling machine of the nature disclosed including a column having a front wall, a substantially closed rear wall, and a plurality of side walls, a knee slidably guided for vertical movement adjacent said front wall, some of said walls together with other walls of said column providing a motor chamber at a lower column level, a

tool spindle rotatably supported from said column and journaled at its opposite ends in said front and rear walls, a motor housed within said motor chamber and providing a motor shaft substantially at right angles to the axis of said spindle, and transmission mechanism connecting said motor shaft for rotation of said spindle and including a rate changer, said motor chamber and spindle supporting portions of said column being integrally formed.

2. In a milling machine of the nature disclosed, the combination of a column providing a front Wall, a rear wall, and a plurality of side walls, a lm'ee, table, and saddle slidably guided adjacent said front wall for unitary bodily vertical movement, a tool spindle rotatably supported from said column and journaled at opposite ends thereof in said front and rear walls, saidcolumn providing integrally joined portions forming an upper chamber and a lower chamber, said lower chamber being substantially solidly closed in the direction of said rear wall and in the direction' of said front wall and providing an opening through one of said side walls for the admission of a motor into said lower chamber, and'a transmission mechanism for said spindle including a motor in said lower chamber and gearing within said upper chamber.

3. In a milling machine of the nature disclosed, the combination of a column providing a front wall, a substantially closed rear wall, and a plurality of side walls, a knee, a table, and a saddle slidably guided for unitary vertical movement adjacent said front wall, a tool spindle rotatably supportedfrom said column and journaled at its opposite ends in said front and rear walls, transmission mechanism for rotation of said spindle including a shaft rotatably supported from said column below said spindle and axially at right angles thereto, a driven member fixed on said shaft, a motor housed within a lower portion of said column and providing a shaft axially parallel-with the first named shaft, a driving member fixed on said motor shaft, and drive means connecting said members, said motor being supported for bodily adjustment in a direction substantially at right angles to the axis of said spindle whereby to adjust the relative position of said driving and driven members, said motor housing and spindle supporting portions of said column being integrally formed.

4. In a milling machine of the nature disclosed,

the combination of a column providing a front wall, a substantially closed rear wall, and a plurality of side walls, a knee, a table, and a saddle supported adjacent said front wall for unitary bodily vertical movement, a tool spindle rotatably supported from said column and journaled at its opposite ends in said front and rear walls, some of said column walls together with other walls of said column providing an upper chamber and a lower chamber, a motor housed within said lower chamber in a position for the shaft thereof to be substantially at right angles to the axis of said spindle, a transmission connecting said motor for rotation of said spindle including a shaft EDWARD J. KEARNEY. 

